Drying machine



May 5, .1959

R. PARKES DRYING MACHINE Filed Aug. 13, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet l mnmlr' c aFig. l

Fig. 2

INVENTOR.

RALPH c. PARKES ATTORNEY y 5 1959 R. c. PARKES 2,884,711

DRYING MACHINE s Shecs-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1956 IN VEN TOR.

RALPH C. PARKES ATTORNEY May 5,. 1959 R. C. PARKES DRYING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 13, 1956 vii INVENTOR.

RALPH c. PARKES F m \A M mv N ow u 3 n A m on n n z AH n m 6m 5 3 mm m AA J I l l|||||| 1 r\\ 3 w mm mm in 2 i. iilwi n J {1.1 LUL n C H \N 9 Qi ATTORNEY U d aw Pa ei Q" My invention relates to a machine of the'type which may be used for drying, or for otherwise processing'cloth,or other sheet material, by subjecting it to the action of the desiredfluid medium. For example, heated air'and/ orsteam may be used fordrying and/or curing or setting,

color development and so on. I

Because the nature of the'operation performed, and the nature of thematerial treated, have no bearing'on the machine, or on the manner ofoperation, hereinafter described, reference will only be made to thedrying of cloth by means of heated This is by way of example only and itis understood that treatments; that cloth includes other materials andthat air includes other media. 7 I I One method of drying cloth consistsin discharging heated air against one or both sides of the cloth whilethe cloth is held in, .or is moved through,'a drying chamber and,-assuming the temperature and relative humidity to be .constant, thevolume and velocity ofthe air must be regulated as may be indicated, forexample, by the thickness of. thecloth, byits moisture content, by thedegree of drying desired and .by the rate ofmovement of -the cloththrough the drying chamber and so on.

It is therefore one object of theinvention to produce improved,adjustable, primary nozzles whereby, the ;-volume andvelocity of the airdischarge against the cloth may be readily regulated so as to produceoptimum results in the quantity and in the quality of the finishedproduct.

During the drying operation, a positive air pressure prevails in thevicinity of the cloth and a corresponding negative pressure prevails inthe part of the drying chamber from which spent air is withdrawn forreconditioning and recirculation or for exhaust. Because of structurallimitations, and other variable factors, the air pressure potential notuniform and when cloth is slack-dried it tends to wander and itfrequently gets air creased with correspondingly defective drying.

It is therefore a further object of the invention to produce improvedadjustable, secondary nozzles whereby the positive air pressure in thevicinity of the cloth may be accurately regulated so as to produceuniform drying and to prevent creasing, shading and so forth.

The nature of the invention is more fully disclosed in the followingspecification and in the accompanying drawin gs in which:

Fig. 1 is a highly diagrammatic, single line, elevational view of amachine embodying the invention and shown as used for drying cloth.

Fig. 2 is a highly diagrammatic, single line, view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged, vertical sectional view showing details ofconstruction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view showing other details ofconstruction.

The machine illustrated includes a plenum is supplied with heated air bymeans of blowers 11.

elevational drying includes other "ice Plenum communicates with an uppernozzle chamber 12, as shown by arrow 13, and it communicates with alower nozzle chamber 14, as indicated by arrow 15. Except for facing inopposite directions, the nozzles in'upper and lower chamber 12 and 14are formed by h means of identical, generally U-shaped ducts 16, 18 andbe dried in the machine.

and 26 are either formed integrally with their respective 20 and 22, 24and 26, respectively, which ducts extend from one end wall 28 to theother end wall 30 of each of the upper and lower chambers :50 that thelengths of the ducts will equal the width of the widest cloth C to Theducts 16, 18, 20, 22, 24

chambers or they are suitably secured in position by means, not shown. 7

As best shown in chambers 12 and 14 are spaced and the spacestherebetween provide air discharge nozzles through which the andchemical reagents can be used for color fixing or: for 20 heated air isdischarged against the cloth inthe direction of arrows 32 and 34. Theopposite end walls 28 and 30 of chambers 12 and 14 are cut out as at 36so that the opposite ends of the ducts open into the adjacent portionsof the drying chamber, The ends of the nozzles formed 'by the spacesbetween adjacent .ducts are closed by portions 40 and 42 of end plates28 and 30, respectively, which are left after said end plates are cutout -;asa't'36. By this arrangement, a'irreaching upper chamber 12 willflow downwardly between the sides of adjacent duets 16, Y18 and 20, etc.and corresponding wall portions 40 and. 42, as shown by arrows 32, andreaching lower'chamber14. will flow upwardly between the sides of ducts22, 24 and 26, etc. and corresponding wall portions and 42 ,as shown byarrows 34.

In order to regulate the volume and velocity of the heated air, I makeprovision for increasing or decreasing the 'spaces'betwe'en thejuxtaposed side walls of adjacent ducts to enlarge or to restrict thenozzle formed by said 7 10 which sicles. In the preferred embodiment,this is accomplished by means of turnbuckles 46 which engage theopposite sides of each duct, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3.; Tepermit movement of the sides of the ducts, in 're-' spousetofthe'faction of the turn buckles, the ducts be "made of" flexiblematerial throughout, or the recti-' linear marginal portions, which arethe only parts which need to be moved, can be hinged to the U-shapedbodies of the duct as at 47. The air discharged against the oppositesides of cloth C flows in the direction of arrows 43 into the juxtaposedducts and, in the albsence of my invention, the air will flow throughthe opposite open ends of the ducts into the drying chamber from whichthe air is removed by blowers 11.

In order to control the flow of the heated air from the vicinity of thecloth to the drying chamber through the upper and lower ducts, I provideeach of said duets with bafiles 48 and 50 which are co-extensive withthe ducts and the pendent ends 52 of which are spaced apart by bolts 56to form outlets 54. By this arrangement, the air discharged through thespaces between the ducts can only flow from the drying chamber throughopenings 54. By manipulating bolts 56 in a direction to move the ends 52of baflles 48 and 50 apart, the rate of flow of air from the vicinity ofthe cloth being dried will be increased, as shown in duct 18, and viceversa as shown in duct 24.

From Fig. 4, is will be seen that the baffies in each duct have twoadjustments, one near each end. By this means the efiect of the heatedair on the cloth being dried can be Varied as indicated by the progressof the drying operation. For example, if the portion of the cloth whichregisters with one end of a duct is drying too fast, the correspondingoutlet 54 is enlarged to expedite removal of the heated air from thevicinity of that portion of the cloth and vice versa. This provides acontrol which is Patented May 5, 1959 Fig. 3, the ducts in upper andlower 3 in addition toth'e controls which are exercised by adjusting theairdi'scha'rge nozzles or by regulating the speed of movement of thecloth or by adjusting the distance be tweenthe-cloth and the oppositebanks of air discharge nozzles.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that, by my invention the volume andvelocity of the air discharged against the=cloth, as well as-the volumeand velocity of the air exhaustedfiom the vicinity ofthe cloth can beregulated as may be indicated by their coaction on the cloth or by otherconditions. For example, if it is desired to equal ize the air pressure,openings 54 are enlarged, or restricted', according. to the rate atwhich air is-discharged' against the cloth. To expedite the operationwithout any regard for other factors, openings 5'4'are enlarged to thefullest extent. Again, if it is found'that chemical reagents are actingfor too long a time on the cloth,

openings 54 will be enlarged-and vice versa. v

Thus,. the provision of primary control of the" air.

through manipulation ofbuckles 46 and the provision of" a secondarycontrol by manipulation of bolts 56 malie it possible to balance abalanced system with extreme accuracy and make better control of thedrying operation possible in balanced and' in unbalancedsystems.

What I'claim is:

l'l In a drying chamber, at least one plenum, meansmeans for propellingthe material to be dried'past said nozzles transversely of the pathofflow of. saidfluid, pairs of" balflies carried bythe opposite innerfaces of eaclt of said ducts, the inner marginal portions of said beingspaced and-bent to form spaced parallel flanges forming fluid flowpassageways leading through the ends of said ducts to said plenum, andmeans for varying the spaces between said flanges to vary the sizeofsaid passageway's to regulate the rate of flow of said fluid from.

the vicinity of the material to bev dried to said plenum.

materialaswell as the length of time during which said" fluid may act onsaid material.

2. In a drying chamber, at least one plenum, means for supplying fluidunder pressure to said plenum, generally U-sh'aped ducts arranged inspaced parallel relation with the bight portions of said ducts facingsaid plenum and with the limbs of said ducts extending away from saidplenum, means eoacting with the juxtaposed limbs of adjacent ducts toform elongated nozzles communicating with said plenum and formingpassages for the discharge offluid fromv said plenum,.theends of saidducts being opened and" communicating with said plenum, means forpropelling, thematerial' to be dried past said nozzles transversely ofthe path of flow of said fluid, pairs of baifies within said ducts, theinner edges of said batfles being spaced to form fluid flow passagewaysleading through the. ends of said ducts to saidv plenum, and means forvaryingthe spaces between said edges to vary the size of-Isaid.passageways to regulatethe rate of flow of said' fluid from the vicinityof the material to be dried to said. plenumv thereby to control thevolume of fluid acting on said.v material as well as the length of timeduring which said fluid may act on said material.

3.. The apparatus recited in claim 2' in which the walls of said ducts.are. flexible and means within saidv ducts forfmovi'ngithe oppositewalls of individual ducts toward, or. away. from each other. to varysaid fluid discharge nozzleforming spaces to control the volume andvelocity ofthe fl'uidl discharged. through said nozzles againstsaidmateriaL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

